To get an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, you need to be at least 16, pass the FAA’s aeronautical knowledge test (or complete a free online course if you already hold a Part 61 pilot certificate), submit FAA Form 8710-13 through the IACRA system, and clear a TSA background check. The certificate is what federal law requires before you can fly a drone under 55 pounds for any commercial purpose in the United States.1eCFR. 14 CFR 107.12 – Requirement for a Remote Pilot Certificate With a Small UAS Rating Most applicants finish the whole process in a few weeks and spend around $175.
Do You Actually Need One
The certificate is required any time you act as pilot in command of a small drone operation for compensation or business purposes.1eCFR. 14 CFR 107.12 – Requirement for a Remote Pilot Certificate With a Small UAS Rating “Commercial” is broader than most people expect. Real estate photography, roof inspections, agricultural surveying, mapping work, and monetized drone footage on social media all count. If the flight produces something of economic value for you or someone else, the FAA treats it as a commercial operation.
Purely recreational flying under the hobbyist rules is a different category and doesn’t require this certificate. And one certificated pilot can supervise an uncertificated person at the controls during a commercial job, as long as the certificate holder can take over immediately.1eCFR. 14 CFR 107.12 – Requirement for a Remote Pilot Certificate With a Small UAS Rating Someone on the operation has to hold the certificate. There is no exception.
Eligibility Requirements
Four gates come before anything else:2Federal Aviation Administration. Become a Drone Pilot
- Be at least 16 years old.
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand English.
- Be in a physical and mental condition that does not interfere with safely operating a drone.
- Pass a TSA security background check, which the FAA initiates once you apply.
There is no FAA medical exam for remote pilots, unlike manned aviation. You self-certify your fitness before every flight. That self-certification carries real weight, though. The FAA publishes a list of conditions it considers disqualifying for aviation medical certificates, and remote pilots should use the same list as a reference. Epilepsy, psychosis, substance dependence, and coronary heart disease requiring medication all appear on it.3Federal Aviation Administration. What Medical Conditions Does the FAA Consider Disqualifying A single diagnosis doesn’t automatically ground you, but flying with a condition that could impair judgment or reaction time won’t survive an enforcement inquiry.
Two Paths to Qualify
How you satisfy the FAA’s knowledge requirement depends on whether you already hold a manned-aircraft pilot certificate.
Path 1: The Knowledge Test (for most applicants)
If you’re new to aviation, you take the Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) exam at an FAA-approved testing center. It’s a 60-question, multiple-choice test, and you need at least 70% (42 correct answers) to pass. The exam covers airspace classifications and sectional chart reading, Part 107 operating rules, weather interpretation, drone loading and performance, emergency procedures, night operations, airport procedures, and aeronautical decision-making.4eCFR. 14 CFR 107.73 – Knowledge and Training
Path 2: The Part 61 Alternate Route (for existing pilots)
If you already hold a pilot certificate under 14 CFR Part 61 (private, commercial, ATP, or similar) and completed a flight review within the previous 24 months, you can skip the $175 knowledge test entirely. Instead, you complete the free “Part 107 Small UAS Initial” online course (ALC-451) through the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) website.2Federal Aviation Administration. Become a Drone Pilot
After finishing the course, you fill out FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA and schedule an in-person identity verification appointment. This can happen at a Flight Standards District Office, or with a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative, or a certificated flight instructor. Bring your completed form, proof of your current flight review, photo ID, and the course completion certificate. The representative signs your application and issues a temporary airman certificate on the spot.
Registering For and Taking the Knowledge Test
Before you can schedule the exam, you need an FAA Tracking Number (FTN). Create a profile on the FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) system, and the FTN is generated automatically. This number stays with you for your entire aviation career.5Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Tracking Number FTN Frequently Asked Questions
With your FTN in hand, schedule the UAG exam through PSI, the FAA’s approved testing vendor. There are hundreds of testing centers nationwide.6Talogy. PSI FAA Exams – Login The fee is approximately $175, paid directly to the testing center at registration.7Federal Aviation Administration. How Much Does It Cost to Get a Remote Pilot Certificate
Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth, signature, and physical residential address. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, that means a state driver’s license, U.S. government ID, military ID, passport, or alien residency card. Non-U.S. citizens need a passport plus a U.S. state-issued license or government ID.8Federal Aviation Administration. What Do I Need to Bring With Me to Take the Aeronautical Knowledge Test
When you pass, you receive a knowledge test report with a 17-digit exam ID. Keep it. You need that number for the application.
Submitting Your Application in IACRA
Log back into IACRA after passing the exam and start a new application for a remote pilot certificate using FAA Form 8710-13. Enter the 17-digit exam ID from your knowledge test report to link your scores, then electronically sign and submit.2Federal Aviation Administration. Become a Drone Pilot
A temporary electronic certificate becomes available for download shortly after submission, and it carries the same legal authority as the permanent plastic card. You can start flying commercially with the temporary certificate. The permanent certificate ships by mail once the TSA background check clears and the FAA finishes its internal processing, which typically takes several weeks.
You must carry your certificate (temporary or permanent) during every commercial flight and present it on request to any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, FAA representative, TSA representative, or NTSB official.9eCFR. 14 CFR Part 107 – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Register Your Drone and Comply With Remote ID
The certificate authorizes the pilot. The aircraft has its own requirements, and skipping them will ground you just as effectively as flying without a certificate.
Every drone you operate commercially must be registered with the FAA. Registration costs $5 per drone and is valid for three years.10Federal Aviation Administration. How to Register Your Drone Part 107 pilots register each aircraft individually through the FAA DroneZone portal, and the registration number must be displayed on the aircraft.
Since September 2023, nearly all drone flights outside of FAA-Recognized Identification Areas (FRIAs) require Remote ID compliance.11Federal Register. Enforcement Policy Regarding Operator Compliance Deadline for Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Remote ID broadcasts your drone’s identification and location so law enforcement and other airspace users can identify it in flight. You have three ways to comply:
- Fly a Standard Remote ID drone with built-in broadcast capability that transmits both the drone’s location and the control station’s location.
- Attach an FAA-accepted broadcast module to an older drone. The module broadcasts the drone’s location and its takeoff point, and you must maintain visual line of sight when using one.
- Fly inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area, where Remote ID equipment is not required but you must stay within visual line of sight and the FRIA boundaries.
Before your first flight, verify that your drone or broadcast module appears on an FAA-accepted Declaration of Compliance.12Federal Aviation Administration. Remote Identification of Drones
Keeping the Certificate Usable
The remote pilot certificate itself does not expire, but your authorization to exercise its privileges does. Every 24 calendar months you must complete free online recurrent training through the FAASTeam website.2Federal Aviation Administration. Become a Drone Pilot If you let the window lapse, you cannot legally fly commercially again until you finish the training. There’s no fee and no testing center visit, so falling behind is a self-inflicted problem.
Keep a copy of your most recent training completion certificate alongside your remote pilot card. If your permanent mailing address changes, you have 30 days to notify the FAA. After that 30-day window closes, you cannot exercise your certificate privileges until the update is on file. You can notify the FAA by mail or through its online portal.13eCFR. 14 CFR 107.77 – Change of Name or Address